Facing Cancer Together With Strength
- Hallmark actor Brennan Elliott announced that his wife, Cami, was diagnosed with stage four gastric cancer in April 2022. But his most recent post exclaims her pathology reports are showing no signs of cancer!
- Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, doesn’t always cause symptoms in its early stages, but some possible signs of the disease include the following: Trouble swallowing, belly pain, feeling bloated after eating, among others.
- Depending on the cancer’s location within the stomach and its stage, treatment options for stomach cancer may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and palliative care. Before you begin down a treatment path, make sure you have a lengthy conversation with a doctor, or doctors, about your options.
- Brennan and Cami Elliott are amazing examples of how important and helpful it can be to face a spouse’s cancer journey together. Showing strength and keeping communication can help each partner understand one another and keep a positive mindset during the fight.
Brennan has been married to Cami Elliott since 2011, and the couple has two young children. But, sadly, their world was turned upside down when Cami was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric, or stomach, cancer, which they announced in April 2022.
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“I wanted to update you all about my wife @camilla_row and her pathology results… which show no cancer!!” he wrote under a video of Cami walking with a nurse at the hospital. “All the biopsies came back negative as well as the fluid.
“It's been such an impossible journey but today is a day to rejoice in Gods mercy and grace. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone of you who has prayed for us and encouraged us along the way. I can't put into words how thankful and grateful we are as a family for your support! I am on cloud nine!!”
Jill Kargman on Relationships and Cancer
And this update is not the first round of good news the couple has received regarding Cami’s cancer. In October 2022, Brennan shared a similar update about Cami’s progress.
“The first time in six years we found out she’s NED, which stands for ‘no evidence of cancer’ so no evidence of disease,” Brennan told People. “She’s a warrior, and I’m not saying that just because I’m married to her. I’m saying that because it’s amazing to watch a woman fight.”
What Is The Cancer Affecting Brennan Elliott’s Wife? Understanding Stomach Cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, can affect any part of the stomach. According to the Mayo Clinic, stomach cancers usually develop in the main part of the stomach (stomach body) for most of the world.
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But in the United States, stomach cancer is more likely to form in the gastroesophageal junction the area where the long tube (esophagus) that carries food you swallow meets the stomach.
Risk factors
Factors that increase the risk of having stomach cancer include:
- Ongoing problems with stomach acid backing up into the esophagus, which is called gastroesophageal reflux disease
- A diet high in salty and smoked foods
- A diet low in fruits and vegetables
- Infection in the stomach caused by a germ called Helicobacter pylori
- Swelling and irritation of the inside of the stomach, which is called gastritis
- Smoking
- Growths of noncancerous cells in the stomach, called polyps
- Family history of stomach cancer
- Family history of genetic syndromes that increase the risk of stomach cancer and other cancers, such as hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, Lynch syndrome, juvenile polyposis syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of stomach cancer may include:
- Trouble swallowing
- Belly pain
- Feeling bloated after eating
- Feeling full after eating small amounts of food
- Not feeling hungry when you would expect to be hungry
- Heartburn
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Losing weight without trying
- Feeling very tired
- Stools that look black
The above symptoms can all be signs of stomach cancer, but it’s important to remember they are not exclusive to this disease. Even still, you should always report any concerning changes to your health to a doctor.
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In addition, note that stomach cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms in its early stages. It can be crucial to investigate seemingly benign signs when they do, in fact, occur.
And metastatic stomach cancer, or stomach cancer that has spread to other areas of the body, can cause symptoms specific to wherever the disease has spread. So, know that other symptoms can occur as a result of this cancer. If the stomach cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, for instance, you may feel lumps through your skin.
Treatment
Depending on the cancer’s location within the stomach and its stage, treatment options for stomach cancer can vary. Some of those options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and palliative care.
Before you begin down a treatment path, make sure you have a conversation with your doctor about your options. If you need help with thinking of how to navigate the conversation, try bringing a list of questions like the ones below:
- What are my treatment options?
- How successful are the treatments?
- What are the benefits and risks of each treatment?
- Is there one option you feel is best suited for me?
- How will treatment affect my life? Can I continue to work?
- Should I seek a second opinion? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
Having a Supportive Partner During Cancer Treatment
As Brennan and Cami Elliott have shown, having supportive partners and spouses during a cancer battle can be incredibly helpful in keeping a positive attitude throughout the journey. And that person by your side can help you feel like you’re not fighting it alone.
So, communication is a vital tool when helping to support a partner with cancer, and it could help a couple understand each other better, according to MacMillan Cancer Support.
"Try to be yourself and live as normally as possible. Behaving differently may make your partner feel more aware of the cancer," the organization explains. "It can help to ask your partner what support they would like and find useful. This makes sure you help where it is most wanted and needed. It can also help you avoid misunderstandings."
They also advise partners to allow a loved one who is dealing with a disease to feel as if they are "still in control."
So it's important to allow someone who's battling cancer to have some control of things like family issues, their own care and finances.
And Brennan has been a great example of this aspect, clearly giving his wife the credit she absolutely deserves in her journey.
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